Page 93 of Justice Denied

Emily’s reply floored him.

Good. I told them to check out Yasmine Topher. I think she’s the one behind the embezzlement.

Why?

Because she’s been overlooked by her father and her brothers. She’s smarter than all of them, but Peter is too old-fashioned to allow a woman to helm his company. I think that made her mad enough she got even by taking the money. Jay never liked her, called her “all sweetness and light until you crossed her.”

Interesting. From what Leslie said, they are gathering information and should have enough to arrest someone soon.

Emily responded with a thumbs up emoji.

Praying for you.

He hearted her response, then returned to narrowing down his photographs, his mind split between concentrating on the task at hand and seeing how nicely Yasmine Topher fit the profile of an embezzler. As he worked, he couldn’t help noticing how silent his phone stayed. No vibrations indicating an incoming text. Seth swallowed his disappointment for hoping Jetta would respond to something related to the embezzlement, even if she ignored his own entreaties.

He’d had a lifetime of experience that should have doused the hope in his heart that this time, the outcome would be different. But his foolish heart wouldn’t listen to his brain, and he clung to the memories of their sweet kiss and her trust in him during the birth of her daughter.

ChapterThirty-Four

Jetta paced back and forth, jostling the fussy baby up and down with every step. Her daughter, whom she hadn’t named yet, refused to settle down. Eight-thirty p.m. The baby had nursed well and burped, her diaper was fresh, so Jetta wasn’t sure what the problem was. Her mother had offered to cut short her rehab stay and move back in to help, but Jetta deflected the offer. Mom meant well, but Jetta needed to see if she could handle motherhood on her own or not. Being a single mother was a huge responsibility. Thus far, she felt like an utter failure.

Seth’s text about the FinCEN investigation should have cheered her that answers to who was behind framing her father and stealing the money would be forthcoming eventually, but she’d had to resist the urge to throw her phone against the wall. Her OB-GYN had said her emotions might be raw and see-sawing for a few weeks after the birth, but Jetta hadn’t realized how far her moods would swing.

The visit earlier that day with a representative of a Christian adoption agency hadn’t gone well either. The woman had been nice and presented her options with how an adoption might work—open, closed, somewhere in between. Jetta had no idea she had to think about whether she wanted to be part of the baby’s life or not. The decision whether to give her baby up to another set of parents seemed momentous enough without having to figure out how involved she would want to be with the adoptive family.

The niggling idea she didn’t have to decide wouldn’t leave her, that she could simply agree to let Seth be part of her and her baby’s life, and all would be rainbows and unicorns. Okay, maybe that was putting too much of a happy spin on things, and Seth didn’t deserve her sarcasm. She shifted the baby to her other shoulder, then resumed pacing and patting. The baby let out a loud belch.

“Better?” Jetta rocked back and forth as the infant’s cries softened to a whimper. Another burp escaped, and her daughter snuggled down on her shoulder. She eased into the glider chair Mom had surprised her with when she came home from the hospital. She suspected Mom had corralled Seth into putting the chair together, since she spotted the box next to his recycling bin, but she was grateful to have the chair.

With a push, she set it in motion, and the baby soon drifted off to sleep. Jetta’s body relaxed as quiet descended on the house. She’d close her eyes for a few minutes, then put the baby in the bassinet and get something to eat, as she’d only nibbled a few bites of her scrambled eggs and toast.

Seth leaned over her, his warm chocolate eyes shining with a love so intense, so pure, it stole her breath. She reached up, allowing her fingers to brush the shadow along his jawline, marveling at the contrast of the rough texture with her smoother skin. He brushed a strand of hair from her face, his gaze fashioned on hers. “Do you see me, sweetheart?”

She dropped her hand, confusion clouding the moment. “I see you.”

“I’m real. I’m here. I’m waiting for you to see me.”

“I do.” She struggled to her feet, the baby suddenly in his arms, not hers. The sight of his big, strong biceps flexing to cradle her infant daughter brought tears to her eyes. The baby didn’t stir with the transfer, simply slept on as peaceful as a lamb.

Bingley’s wet nose on her bare foot jolted her out of the dream and back to reality. It took a few minutes for the vestiges of the vivid dream to receded and for Jetta to recover her bearings. Seth wasn’t there. She was in the baby’s room. Her daughter stirred but didn’t awaken as the dog nudged Jetta again, this time with a soft whine. Shadows had deepened while she had slept with only the nightlight on in the baby’s room. She checked the time on her phone. Nine-thirteen. She’d been asleep for only about twenty minutes or so.

Jetta pushed Bingley out of the way so she could lay the baby in the bassinet, covering the infant with a blanket. Time for some decaf tea and to finish her omelet if Bingley hadn’t gobbled it up, since she’d left it on the kitchen counter. But when she moved toward the door, the dog blocked her way.

“Out of the way,” she whispered.

Bingley responded with a low growl, something he had never done before. She placed her hand on his collar intent on moving him aside when she heard something. She dropped to her knees beside the dog and listened. Yes, someone was moving around downstairs.

Her fingers slipped as she grabbed her phone. If she called 911, she would have to speak, something she didn’t want to do unless absolutely necessary. She didn’t want to draw the intruder’s attention to herself and her baby. She’d text Seth and ask him to call 911. Without giving herself a chance to reconsider, she sent the text, adding she was turning off her phone to avoid detection. She didn’t want any buzzing or beeping to alert whoever had broken into her house. She would stay with Bingley in the baby’s room and wait for help to arrive.

Then she heard footsteps coming up the stairs.

* * *

Seth liftedthe thirty-pound weight in a bicep curl with his left hand, completing twenty reps before switching to his right. He continued alternating every twenty reps until he’d worked each arm with a hundred repetitions. After replacing the weights, he debated whether he should add sit ups to his regime or call it a night. His phone buzzed, distracting him from his late-night workout.

Jetta’s name flashed on the screen, lifting his heart until he read her brief message.

Intruder downstairs. Baby’s sleeping. I’m there with Bingley. Call 911 for me. Will wait in baby’s room until help arrives. Turning off phone to avoid detection by intruder.

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